Extensible curtain-roller.



J. LEVAN. EKTENSIBLE CURTAIN ROLLER.

APPLIUATIOH FILED APR. 29, 1912.

Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

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UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN LEVAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CURTAIN SUPPLYCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

EXTENSIBLE OURTAIN-ROLLEB.

Specification of Lettets Patent. Application filed April 29.1912. SerialNo. 693,807.

Patented Jan. 14,1913.

for curtain shades and the like and has for' its object the provision insuch rollers of exceedingly simple and eificient means for locking theroller members in longitudinally adjusted relation.

' With this object in view and looking to low cost of manufacture Iprovide one of the telescopic members with a longitudinal slot and mountin said slot for angular movement a locking member such as a screw orbolt having an elongated cross-section of which the larger diameter isgreater than the width of the slot whereby upon the angular movementofsuch expanding member the sides of the slot are forced apart and thewalls of such telescopic member are expanded radially into frictionallocking engagement with the walls of the other telescopic member.

Theinvention as thus outlined and hereinafter claimed will be readilyunderstood 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5is a'similar section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detailedperspective of the expanding member, and Fig. 7 is a view similar toFig. 4 showing a slightly modified construction.

Having reference to the drawing, 10 designates one member of the shaderoller with in which member is disposed the usual Winding spring andratchet and pawl mechanism,

- not shown, while 11 designates the other telescopic member of theshade roller having a reduced portion 12 adapted to slide within themember 10 and formed integral with or permanently secured to ,andconsti- Ituting a part of the inner telescopic member. The. innertelescopic member is provided throughout the extent of its reducedportion. 12 with a' longitudinal slot 13 of which the sides 14 arepreferably depressed as shown, while the entrance to the slot at theinner end of the member 12 is flared at 1.5 as shown. The longitudinalextent of the reduced portion 12 is sufficient to pro vide fortelescopic movement of the parts within a range adapting the sameforadjustment to fit windows of difi'erent width and the diameters of thetwo telescopic .members are such that the slotted portion of the innermember slides snugly but freely within the outer member so that they maybe readily adjusted telescopically.

The inner end of the member 10 is provided with a counter-sunk aperturecorresponding to and fitting within the countersunk or depressed sides14 of the slot. Within the counter-sunk aperture is mounted thefrusto-conical head 17 of the locking memher which is providedimmediately below the head with a stem 18 of elongated crosssection,preferably rectangular as shown in Fig. 6. At the lower end .of the stem18 is formed a button 19 preferably cylindrical as shown in said figure.The diameter of the button 19 is substantially the same as the diameterof the aperture 16 and slightly less than the greatest diameter of thehead 17 so that the said expanding member is readily inserted throughthe aperture 16 to a position with the button and stem depending withinthe tubular member 10. The smaller diameter of the stem 18 issubstantially the same or slightly less than the width of the slot 13,while the larger diameter of said stem is slightly greater than thewidth of-the slot 13. When the expanding member is disposed as describedwithin the aperture of the curtain member 10 with the larger diameter ofits stem extending longitudinally of the roller, the roller member 12may be inserted within the member 10 the stem 18 entering the slot 13without engagement with the sides thereof. When the two roller membershave been adjusted to the proper length to fit between the brackets of aparticular window the expanding member is angularly turned by means of asuitable tool engaging the slit 20 whereby to a position at rightangles'to the slot 13 and its width being greater than that out the slotthe walls ot the inner curtain member are expanded to frictionallyengage the walls of the outer member 10. If the, stem 18 is rectangularin cross-section it will be obvious that the largest diameter of thesame is upon adiagonal line connecting opposite corners whereby it willbe understood that in order to turn the stem cross-wise of the slot asshown in l the greatest expansion will occur at anintermediate posit-ionof the expanding member when the same is arranged diagonally of the slotand that when brought to the position shown. in Fig. 4 the resiliency ofthe inner member will cause the same to spring back slightly and thusprevent accidental angular movement of the expanding member, as thewalls of the slot will resist the turning movement of the enpandingmember back to its original position.

. It will be noted that by reason of the button 19 provided on thelower'end of theexpanding member it is imposslble tor the same to becomedislodged from the aperture 16 while the members are in telescopicrelation, whereas when they are pulled apart the expanding member may bereadily removed from the outer member 10 through the aperture 16. I

In Fig. '2 is shown a slightly modified arrangement in which the slot 21of the inner member and the aperture 22 of the outer member are notdepressed or counter-sunk. As shown in this figure also the button 23 isnot cylindrical but is rectangular in crosssection and formed similarlyto. and at right angles to the stem 24. In this case the exanding membermay be removed by turnmg through an angle of 90 degrees to bring thebutton 28 into alinement with the slot 21 and aperture 22. It will benoted that when the larger diameter of the stem 21 is in alinement withthe slot so as to permit adjustment of the members the button 23 expandstransversely of the slot so as to prevent withdrawal and when the stem24 is turned transversely of the slot to expand the inner member thebutton 23 expands longitudinally of the slot but withdrawal is preventedby the frictional engagement between the edges of the slot and the stem24-. Obviously the elongated rectangular button 23 of Fig.

7 can be used in connection with the de pressed slot and counter-sunkportion of preferred construction shown in the other figures.

It will be understood that in both forms of the invention illustratedand described, a double locking action takes place due to the frictionalengagement otthe expanded walls of the inner member with the rigid wallsof the outer member and also to the direct ononours gugement between thenon-circular stem and the sides of the slot. By reason out this latteraction, the locking of the parts will result upon the turning of theloclring mem her even though the inner roller member be inexpansible, asthe stem will bite into the sides of the slot and thus prevent longitudtnal displacement.

I claim 1. An extensible curtain roller comprising in combinationtelescopically arranged members, one member slotted, and a lockingdevice having a stem of elongated cross-seetion disposed within the slotand angularly adjustable therein, the elongated cross section of thestem greater than the normal width of the slot whereby to act upon thesides of the slot to vary the diameter of the slotted member tofrictionally engage the other member, substantially as described.

2. An extensible curtain roller comprising in combination telescopicallyarranged members, the inner member slot-ted longitudinally, and alocking device having a stem of elongated cross-section disposed withinthe slot and angularly movable therein, the elongated cross-section thestem greater than the normal width of the slot whereby to act upon thesides the slot to expand the slotted member into frictional engagementwith the other member, substantially as described.

3. extensible curtain roller comprisin combination telescopicallyarranged members, the inner member slotted longitu dinally, and alocking device mounted in the outer member and having a stem ofelongated cross-section disposed within the slot and angularly movabletherein, the elongated cross-section of the stem greater than the normalwidth of the slot whereby to act upon the sides of the slotto expand theslotted member into frictional en age ment with the other member,substantially as described.

l. extensible curtain roller comprising in combination telescopicallyarranged members, one member slotted, and a locking device carried bythe other member and having a stem oi elongated cross-section disposedwithin the slotand angularly adja cent therein, the elongatedcross-section of the stem greater than the normal width oi. the slotwhereby to act upon the sides of the slot to lock the members againstlongitudinal displacement, substantially as described.

5. An extensible curtain roller comprising in combination telescopicallyarranged members, the inner member slotted longitudinally, and a lockingdevice carried by the outer member and having a stem of elongatedcross-section disposed within the slot and angularly movable therein,the elongated cross-section of the stem greater than 7 members,

the normal width of the slot whereby to act upon the sides of the slotto lock the members against longitudinal displacement, substantially asdescribed.

6. An extensible curtain roller comprising in combination telescopicallyarranged members, the inner member slotted longitudinally, anda locln'ngdevice mounted in the outer member and having a stem of elongatedcross-section disposed within the slot and angularly movable therein,said locking device also having upon the end of the stem a button, thesmaller cross-section of the stem lessthan the normal width of the slotand the elongated cross section of the stem greater than the normal.width of the slot whereby to act upon the sides of the slot whenangularly moved to lock the members against longitudinal displacement,substantially as described.

7. An extensible curtain roller comprising in combination telescopicallyarranged the inner member slotted longitudinally, the outer memberhaving an aperture in one wall, and a locking device comprising a headportion mounted in the aperture and having a stem of elongatedcrosssection disposed within the slot and angularly movable therein andalso having a lower button of, diameter less than the aperture greaterthan the width of the slot,

the elongated cross-section of the stem greater than the normal width ofthe slot whereby to act upon the sides of the slot to expand the slottedmember into frictional engagement with the other member, substantiallyas described.

8. An extensible curtain roller comprising in combination telescopicallyarranged members, the inner member provided with a depressedlongitudinal terminal slot and the outer member provided with acounter-sunk aperture in one wall adjacent its end, and a locking devicecomprising a slitted head portion mounted in the counter-sunk apertureand having a stem portion of elongated rectangular cross-section andalso having a lower button of diameter less than that of the apertureand greater than the normal width of the slot, the stem of the lockingmember disposed within the slot and angular'ly movable therein, theelongated crosssection of the stem greater than the normal width of theslot whereby to act upon the sides of the slot to expand the slottedmemher into frictional engagement with the other member, substantiallyas described.

EDWARD E. WHITMonE; A. B. CRAMPTON.

